Boys basketball: Big run not enough for Leavenworth

Late run not enough for Leavenworth; Lions roll for sixth straight win; P-Ridge struggles scoring; Imac loses to Maur Hill

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By Ian Stanford

The Leavenworth Times - Leavenworth, KS

By Ian Stanford

Posted Feb. 1, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Updated Feb 1, 2013 at 11:56 PM

By Ian Stanford

Posted Feb. 1, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Updated Feb 1, 2013 at 11:56 PM

When they finally turned it on Friday, Leavenworth boys’ basketball team looked nearly unstoppable.

The problem: They couldn’t get it going until the five-minute mark of the fourth quarter. Another problem: They were down by thirteen.

Still, the improbable almost seemed probable as the Pioneer defense forced turnover after turnover and got easy lay-up after easy lay-up. By the time Trey Adkins hit a guarded 3-pointer with 30 seconds left, Leavenworth had gone on a 22-11 run to cut the score to 66-68.

But the Pioneers had to foul, North hit both free throws, Adkins missed on a drive, and that was it.

“As you saw by that run, we know how to get it going,” Leavenworth coach Larry Hogan said. “But we always have spans where we don’t guard and don’t rebound, and it gets us behind. [Offensively] we have three or four guys who can create their own shot, but we can’t get them on the floor at the same time,” Hogan said.

Friday, the third quarter and beginning of the fourth quarter were the main problem spots. North vaulted out from a 31-31 tie at half to get the 13-point lead that ended up being just enough.

“Obviously our guys are a little frustrated right now, but they played hard tonight,” Hogan said. “We have a month to get better [before the playoffs].”

On Friday, Shane Chikerema led the way with 20 points. Cameron Wiggins had 19. Jason Randall had 10 and Trey Adkins put in seven.

The five-game losing streak has crept up after a three-game winning streak that included a statement win against highly-ranked Olathe South. But during the current streak, three of the five losses have been by ten points or more.

Leavenworth, 6-8, goes to Lawrence to play Free State Tuesday.

Lions extend streak to 6

Joe Schneider really showed just how good he could be Tuesday night.

In the Lansing boys’ basketball team’s victory over Turner, Schneider racked up a team-high 25 points in a 74-48 win.

“I knew Joe was on,” Lions coach Rod Briggs. “He has been shooting well in practice and when you shoot well in practice it kind of starts translating to a game. Ever since the tournament, I think he has refocused himself in the correct ways and kind of playing the way I expect him to play.”

The Lions star missed only two shots from the field all night in what was his best performance of the season.

Page 2 of 3 - With Schneider’s hot hand, the Lions got off to a 22-12 advantage in the first quarter.

Lansing had a huge 18-4 surge in the second, which gave them a commanding 40-20 lead at half.

The Lions continued to beat up on Turner throughout the second half as 10 players scored in the game.

“I thought we played pretty well overall today we’re trying to maintain focus for four quarters and other than that little period I the fourth we did a pretty good job of that,” Briggs said.

Roy Clayter had 10 points for the Lions as the team moved to 13-1 on the season.

The Lions will host Bonner Springs Tuesday at 7:15 p.m.

- James Howey

JCN rushes past Ridge

Baskets did not come easy for the Rams basketball team Friday.

The squad made just eight field goals on the evening, while visiting Jefferson County North threw in 22. That disparity led directly to a 68-39 Pleasant Ridge loss.

After one quarter of play, JCN was up 21-9 and then increased its lead to 35-16 by halftime. A 19-10 third quarter, in favor of North, pushed the game out of reach.

Sean Spurlock led the Rams in scoring with nine points while Jagar Haack and Adam Patterson both contributed six points a piece.

“Sean Spurlock, Adam Patterson, Brian Brunner and Tristan DeMaranville really battled against a much bigger and physical team,” Ridge coach Sean Murphy said. “We never backed down, so I was happy about that.”

The defeat dropped PR, who will travel to Horton Tuesday for a 7 p.m. contest, to 1-12 on the year.

Imac can’t capitalize on strong defense

On one end of the floor, the Immaculata boys’ basketball team played well enough to win Friday.

But it was the other end that betrayed the team.

“We played a lot better defense than last time out against these guys,” Raiders coach Mike Connelly said. “I thought we gave a winning effort also, but if you don’t hit shots you are not going to win.”

While Imac held host Maur Hill to 39 points, the Raiders struggled offensively. That let down led to a 39-28 loss.

“We started off nice on an 8-0 run, but that didn’t last,” Connelly said. “We then came out of half and just couldn’t hit anything. We really couldn’t hit any shots all night. That is what did us in.”

Page 3 of 3 - Immaculata trailed 17-14 heading into the second half, where its offense sputtered and collapsed. The squad posted just two third-quarter points and Maur Hill threw up 11 — that was the difference in the ball game.